The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that it had launched a new round of strikes against Iran, describing the actions as the third consecutive night of military operations ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Today at 4:45 p.m. (Eastern Time), United States Central Command began carrying out the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, under the direction of the commander in chief,” the command said in a statement posted on its social media accounts.
According to CENTCOM, the military actions will continue with the aim of degrading Iran’s offensive capabilities and limiting its ability to carry out attacks on civilian targets and international maritime traffic.
“These strikes will continue to impose a high cost on Iranian forces and will degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. command said.
The CENTCOM announcement came shortly after Donald Trump warned that the United States would maintain military pressure on Iran in the coming hours. In an interview with the conservative Salem News Channel, the president said the U.S. would carry out high-intensity strikes on Iranian territory during Monday night and into Tuesday.
“We will hit Iran very hard,” the president said, asserting that Tehran would have no capacity to respond to U.S. actions.
“There is nothing they can do about it. They have nothing,” he added in the interview, also criticizing Iranian leaders by saying they have “nothing but big mouths.”
Meanwhile, the semi-official Iranian news agency YJC reported hearing two explosions on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. The outlet did not attribute the blasts to a specific cause nor immediately report any damage or casualties.
Kish is a strategic island located near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the main maritime routes for global oil and gas shipments.
Shortly after, the semi-official Iranian agency Mehr reported explosions on Qeshm Island, in southern Iran in the waters of the Persian Gulf.
Qeshm and Kish are located in a strategically important area because of their proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime corridor for the global energy trade.
Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
In addition to the air offensive, the United States announced it will resume naval blockade measures on maritime traffic connected to Iran starting Tuesday. CENTCOM said the operation will be reactivated at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (20:00 GMT) by order of President Donald Trump.
The military command said its forces will take action against vessels attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports and coastal areas in violation of restrictions imposed by Washington, while allowing passage for ships that comply with the blockade rules.
“By instruction of the commander in chief, U.S. Central Command forces will resume the blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said in its statement.
The U.S. command urged maritime operators to monitor official navigational alerts and to communicate with U.S. naval forces when transiting the Gulf of Oman and areas near the Strait of Hormuz.
The measure increases pressure on a region considered critical to the global energy trade. Before the conflict began, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to international markets.
CENTCOM recalled that during an initial phase of the blockade applied between April and June, its forces diverted more than 140 vessels, neutralized nine ships that Washington said disobeyed orders, and authorized the transit of over 50 commercial vessels carrying humanitarian aid.
The announcement to restart the blockade comes amid a fresh military escalation between the United States and Iran. Hours earlier, Trump had said Washington would reinstate the measure and suggested vessels protected by U.S. forces in the area should pay a 20% surcharge.
Separately, CENTCOM said U.S. forces used maritime drones in combat for the first time during operations against an Iranian facility. According to the command, the drones were used against a maintenance center for submarines and vessels at the Bandar Abbas naval base.
U.S. military officials also reported that around 140 targets linked to Iranian forces were struck over the weekend using a combination of combat aircraft, drones, and naval vessels.
The escalation follows Trump’s decision to end the framework of a ceasefire agreement signed on June 17, arguing that attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz had continued.
Iran, in turn, carried out attacks against several U.S. allied countries in the region, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, all of which host U.S. military forces.